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What is HHW?

Household hazardous wastes (HHW) should never be thrown into the trash or washed down the household or storm drains or abandoned – that is the law!

For health, safety and environmental reasons it is illegal to dispose of HHW in the garbage, sewers, down household or storm drains, and they cannot be abandoned. Hazardous chemicals can "pass through" wastewater treatment processes or storm drains and get discharged into the environment. This occurs because wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove hazardous chemicals from wastewater, and many storm drains flow directly to the Bay without any treatment at all. HHW thrown into the garbage can injure workers during collection or mix with other chemicals when buried in a landfill. Groundwater used for drinking or irrigation can be contaminated when waste products are poured onto or seep into the ground.

What is HHW?

Words such as danger, warning, caution, poisonous, corrosive, toxic and flammable on the labels of common household products tell you these products may be harmful, even deadly, to you, to your children, to your pets,or to the environment.When these products are no longer wanted and are destined for disposal they become “household hazardous waste” also known as "HHW." Do Not put any of these HHW items or materials in garbage cans or down household or storm drains:

Toxic: Poisonous or lethal when ingested, touched or inhaled even in small quantities (rat poison, cleaning fluids, pesticides, bleach);

Reactive: Creates an explosion or produces deadly vapors (bleach mixed with ammonia cleaners).Careless use and disposal of harmful and hazardous substances contaminate our food, soil, water, and air; and seriously threaten the ecosystems on which we depend.

Even if the products' labels do not contain the word "hazardous" they may be just as hazardous as any industrial waste.

Practice safe storage and proper disposal for all of these items. You may wish to mark or label these productsas a reminder to use them up and dispose of them safely.

West Contra Costa residents can properly dispose of household hazardous waste free of charge at the West County HHW Collection Facility located in at101 Pittsburg Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801 (proof of residency required). Open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays between the hours of 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (closed Noon to 12:30 p.m. for lunch). Call for more information: 1-888-412-9277.

West Contra Costa residents of El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, and the unincorporated Contra Costa County communities of Bayview, East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Montalvin Manor, North Richmond, Rollingwood, and Tara Hills can also dispose of their household hazardous waste at the El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center located at 7501 Schmidt Lane, El Cerrito. This service will be available on Tuesdays ONLY from 9 am to 4 pm (closed for lunch from 12 to 12:30). Sorry, the El Cerrito facility cannot accept HHW from the communities of Kensington, Crockett, Rodeo, and Tormey, which are not part of RecycleMore. Residents from these communities can continue to take their HHW to the permanent West County Resource Recovery HHW facility at 101 Pittsburg Avenue.

NOTaccepted at the HHW collection facility

Radioactive Materials

Explosives, including firearms

Controlled substances (see list of HHW items)

Gas Cylinders - Pressurized, thick-walled over 5 gallons

Are you an eligible customer? Please note – this service is only available to residents of El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, El Sobrante, North Richmond, Kensington, Crockett, Port Costa and Tormey.You will need to show proof of residency – such as a utility bill or driver's license. If you do not live in one of these areas, call your garbage company to ask what service is available to you.